Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) Reaches New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $191.36 and last traded at $190.98, with a volume of 1148311 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $187.94.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on LNG. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $178.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 17th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $194.00 to $199.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Cheniere Energy in a research report on Monday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $208.00 to $204.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $195.00.

Cheniere Energy Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.63. The company has a market cap of $43.73 billion, a PE ratio of 9.15 and a beta of 0.94. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $181.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $170.00.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The energy company reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.12. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 39.42% and a net margin of 27.05%. The company had revenue of $1.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.04 billion. Equities analysts expect that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 9.74 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 7th were issued a $0.775 dividend. This represents a $3.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 7th. This is an increase from Cheniere Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. Cheniere Energy’s payout ratio is currently 8.48%.

Cheniere Energy announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Monday, June 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $4.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the energy company to buy up to 9.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheniere Energy

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of LNG. Signature Wealth Management Group boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Signature Wealth Management Group now owns 4,758 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $832,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 57.6% during the 2nd quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 186 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. E&G Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 5.2% during the 1st quarter. E&G Advisors LP now owns 1,420 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $229,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Syon Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 1,618 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $276,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Accordant Advisory Group Inc boosted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Accordant Advisory Group Inc now owns 19,383 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $3,389,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

About Cheniere Energy

Cheniere Energy, Inc, an energy infrastructure company, primarily engages in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) related businesses in the United States. It owns and operates the Sabine Pass LNG terminal in Cameron Parish, Louisiana; and the Corpus Christi LNG terminal near Corpus Christi, Texas. The company also owns Creole Trail pipeline, a 94-mile natural gas supply pipeline that interconnects the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal with several interstate and intrastate pipelines; and operates Corpus Christi pipeline, a 21.5-mile natural gas supply pipeline that interconnects the Corpus Christi LNG terminal with various interstate and intrastate natural gas pipelines.